Cruise ship docking early due to ‘medical emergency’

A medical emergency has prompted a cruise ship to dock in St. John’s ahead of schedule.

The Astor, originally due to arrive in St. John’s Tuesday at 7 a.m., will now arrive at 6 p.m. today. The ship — with 548 passengers and about 300 crew — is still scheduled to leave at its planned departure time of 7 p.m. Tuesday. The ship is on a 37-day cruise from Greenland to Germany, with several Canadian and Newfoundland and Labrador ports of call, including St. John’s, Corner Brook and L’Anse aux Meadows.

A spokeswoman for the City of St. John’s, when asked by The Telegram the reason for the early arrival, said via email that the ship “had a medical emergency on board.” No further details were available.